Four UK pro-Palestinian activists guilty of criminal damage over raid at Israeli firm Elbit
Conviction of Activists and Details of the Elbit Raid
Background of the Incident
LONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - Four British pro-Palestinian activists were on Tuesday convicted of criminal damage relating to a 2024 raid on a factory operated by Israeli defence firm Elbit, with one of the defendants found guilty of hitting a police officer with a sledgehammer.
Prosecutors at London's Woolwich Crown Court said the six defendants were members of the banned group Palestine Action, which organised the assault on the Elbit Systems UK facility in Bristol, southwest England, in August 2024.
Context of the Raid
The raid, which prosecutors said caused about 1 million pounds ($1.36 million) of damage, took place around 10 months into Israel's bombardment of Gaza in response to a deadly attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023.
Legal Status of Palestine Action
Palestine Action was later proscribed under terrorism law, a decision which was ruled unlawful by London's High Court though the group remains banned pending the government's appeal, which was heard last week.
Details of the Trial and Verdicts
The Defendants and Charges
The six defendants – Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Zainab Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31 – had all denied charges of criminal damage.
Guilty and Not Guilty Verdicts
Head, Corner, Kamio and Rajwani were found guilty of the offence, while Rogers and Devlin were found not guilty.
Additional Convictions
Corner, who prosecutors said hit a police officer with a sledgehammer, was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Previous Trial and Dropped Charges
Tuesday's verdicts follow an earlier trial, after which all six defendants were acquitted of aggravated burglary and the previous jury could not reach verdicts on the criminal damage charges.
Prosecutors later dropped charges of violent disorder against all six defendants.
Additional Information
($1 = 0.7380 pounds)
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Michael Holden)
